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6965 ISSN 2286-4822 www.euacademic.org EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH Vol. III, Issue 6/ September 2015 Impact Factor: 3.4546 (UIF) DRJI Value: 5.9 (B+) PhD in English: Techniques to Avoid Plagiarism in Thesis Writing Dr. RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH Assistant Professor Department of Social Sciences & Humanities KIIT University India Abstract: Plagiarism has emerged to be the Enemy No. 1 of researchers in Indian universities, IITs and other research organizations as elsewhere in the world. This act of passing another person’s work, ideas, or words as one’s own is not always intentional, though. When it has claimed the jobs of even IIT professors, it remains to see how the intellectual community comes forward to tackle this menace. Research cannot be done in isolation and this dependence soon assumes the shape and form of plagiarism which continues to haunt the researcher even years after the work has been published. The fact remains that much plagiarism is unintentional although there is no safe passage for the innocent performer as there is no excuse for the ignorance of the law. In other words, the punishment for intentional plagiarists and unintentional plagiarists is almost the same. In this context there is one and only one safe route with regard to plagiarism – avoiding it altogether. It is, however, easier said than done. When there is apparently conflict of interest between the right to copy and copyright, this article advises researchers to eschew legal offensives and defensives and offers them some safeguards against plagiarism by way of certain techniques to nip the problem of plagiarism in the bud itself. Key words: Plagiarism, plagiarism software, anti-plagiarism software, plagiarism-free, plagiarism check software.

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6965

ISSN 2286-4822

www.euacademic.org

EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Vol. III, Issue 6/ September 2015

Impact Factor: 3.4546 (UIF)

DRJI Value: 5.9 (B+)

PhD in English: Techniques to Avoid Plagiarism in

Thesis Writing

Dr. RAJENDRA KUMAR DASH Assistant Professor

Department of Social Sciences & Humanities

KIIT University

India

Abstract:

Plagiarism has emerged to be the Enemy No. 1 of researchers

in Indian universities, IITs and other research organizations as

elsewhere in the world. This act of passing another person’s work,

ideas, or words as one’s own is not always intentional, though. When it

has claimed the jobs of even IIT professors, it remains to see how the

intellectual community comes forward to tackle this menace. Research

cannot be done in isolation and this dependence soon assumes the

shape and form of plagiarism which continues to haunt the researcher

even years after the work has been published. The fact remains that

much plagiarism is unintentional although there is no safe passage for

the innocent performer as there is no excuse for the ignorance of the

law. In other words, the punishment for intentional plagiarists and

unintentional plagiarists is almost the same. In this context there is

one and only one safe route with regard to plagiarism – avoiding it

altogether. It is, however, easier said than done. When there is

apparently conflict of interest between the right to copy and copyright,

this article advises researchers to eschew legal offensives and

defensives and offers them some safeguards against plagiarism by way

of certain techniques to nip the problem of plagiarism in the bud itself.

Key words: Plagiarism, plagiarism software, anti-plagiarism

software, plagiarism-free, plagiarism check software.

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Introduction

Two words which have already become buzzwords in research

circles and are talked ad nauseam in university common rooms

as well as in literary circles nowadays are (1) ‗originality‘

(having a positive connotation) and the other (2) ‗plagiarism‘

(one with a negative connotation) –– words that are but two

sides of the same coin. Plagiarism (pronounced as

/pleɪdʒərɪzəm/) is defined as ―the act of using another person's

words or ideas without giving credit to that person.‖1 To

―plagiarize‖ is ―to use another person‘s ideas or work and

pretend that it is your own.‖2 If recent news is any indicator, its

worst hit victims have been research institutes and researchers.

Legally speaking, plagiarism is an act of intellectual theft (of

stealing other‘s words and ideas) and is thus an academic

fraud, and hence verily a punishable offence. Even professors in

some reputed research institutions (e.g., IITs) have lost their

jobs and students their ―seats‖ for committing plagiarism.

There seems to be consensus among researchers/ scholars that

a PhD thesis should be original and fully plagiarism-free (in

principle), but they find it hard to avoid plagiarism.

Consequently, there is an enormous gap between the professed

theory and actual practice. Whether due to the ―publish or

perish‖ syndrome or due to ignorance, plagiarism continues

entice researchers. Interestingly enough, hundreds of

plagiarism-check software have come up to cater to the needs of

universities and researchers, vying with one another to be a

part of a PhD scholar‘s desperate effort to trace plagiarism in

their thesis or dissertation and help to counterbalance, but the

situation is just as before. Against this backdrop, this article

discusses the main reasons that lead researchers (especially

PhD scholars) to commit plagiarism (even when they know it

pretty well that if detected it will ruin their career) and how to

prevent them from falling a prey to this avoidable but

nonetheless invincible monster. This paper aims to discuss the

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issue of plagiarism, it nature and cause, and offers some

practical solutions to research scholars pursuing PhD in

English with a view to guiding them to turn their thesis or

dissertation plagiarism-proof.

Plagiarism: Some Interesting Observations

Let us have a look at what some writers, researchers, and

intellectuals think about terms like originality and plagiarism:

―What is originality? Undetected plagiarism.‖ ― Dean

Inge (English author and Professor of Divinity at

Cambridge)

―To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal

from many is research.‖ ― Steven Wright

―If you steal from one author it‘s plagiarism; if you steal

from many it‘s research.‖ ― Wilson Mizner

If we steal thoughts from the moderns, it will be cried

down as plagiarism; if from the ancients, it will be cried

up as erudition. ― Charles Caleb Colton

―I‘ve been imitated so well I‘ve heard people copy my

mistakes.‖ ― Jimi Hendrix

―When a thing has been said and said well, have no

scruple. Take it and copy it.‖ ― Anatole France

―Plagiarism is the fear of a blank page.‖ ― Mokokoma

Mokhonoana

In a way, fraud in business is no different from

infidelity in marriage or plagiarism in scholarly work.

Even people committed to high moral standards

succumb. ― Miroslav Volf

No, generally I think influence is used as a nice word for

plagiarism. ― Gilbert Gottfried

The above comments show the almost inevitability of

plagiarism happening if the researcher is not specially trained

or guarded.

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The Psychology behind Plagiarism

Plagiarism affects critical thinking or is simply the absence of

critical thinking on the part of the researcher concerned. The

research scholar has to be very careful when dealing with other

people‘s ideas. With care ad caution, one can avoid plagiarism.

As Turnitin (a company that has been fighting the menace of

plagiarism through its anti-plagiarism software Turnitin)

claims rightly, ―Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided,

however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain

material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with

the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough

to prevent plagiarism.‖3

Plagiarism is born in the classroom unnoticed when

teachers in their enthusiasm to impress their audience-

students fake erudition and adroitly pass on the ideas of critics

(often inaccessible to the recipients) masquerading them as

their own ideas. Unconsciously though, more often than not,

they have planted or transmitted the dreadful disease of

plagiarism, like AIDS, in the innocent minds of the gullible

students. Thus, plagiarism is very often done unintentionally

rather than intentionally. As you see, the birth of plagiarism

takes place in complete ignorance and due to the unconquerable

weakness of role models to impress others as a result of their

own delusion of grandeur and malcontentedness. Consequently,

when the student grows up to assume the role of the

researcher, he or she finds it very difficult to say ‗no‘ to the

snare of plagiarism because of the secret (natural) inclination.

However, this is not always the cause of plagiarism,

notwithstanding the fact that it is basically a psychological

compulsion.

Plagiarism is chiefly the manifestation of a complex

psychological problem arising out of superiority or inferiority

complex, as the case may be with the researcher in question.

A researcher commits plagiarism, even when he or she is aware

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that plagiarism is an academic fraud and a criminal offence,

because of some probable reasons:

1. The researcher suffers from lack of ideas, particularly

how to begin or end a discussion.

2. The researcher does not know how to cite sources and

give references.

3. The researcher thinks that his or her mischief (i.e.,

plagiarism) will go undetected.

4. The researcher feels that minor misappropriation

cannot be a real danger.

5. The researcher finds it very difficult to avoid taking

certain keywords and phrases from a source but thinks

quotation marks or parenthesis citation will mar the

beauty of expression or the very impact (or when the

researcher wants to bury his or her own stupidity behind

the impressive camouflage).

6. The researcher has found some big professors doing it

without any problems whatsoever.

7. The researcher has been trained by some respectable

people (insiders) training how to ―de-plagiarize‖

plagiarized portions in the thesis or research paper (i.e.,

to avoid being caught eve by the ―best‖ plagiarism

software).

Remember, there is not a single person m the world who can

claim in writing that he or she has never used other‘s words,

but that does not make everyone a plagiarist. Not giving credit

to another person‘s idea is the root cause of plagiarism.

Plagiarism owes its existence to a sense of moral depravity,

psychological insecurity, and research inefficiency. Having

discussed the what and why aspects of plagiarism, we can now

take up the how aspect of plagiarism for exploration.

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An Anatomy of Plagiarism

Plagiarism can happen in many ways and in myriad forms,

intentionally or unintentionally. When you represent another

person‘s ideas or words, phrases or sentences and even when

you use the ideas in your own words, you have committed

plagiarism or intellectual theft. Plagiarism is regarded

intellectual theft because one‘s ideas are by law intellectual

property and it is created as soon as one has written it down. If

you are not original in your thesis writing, you are liable to

commit plagiarism in the following ways or in some other ways.

Plagiarism is:

• turning in someone else‘s work as your own

• copying words or ideas from someone else without

giving credit

• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

• giving incorrect information about the source of a

quotation

• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a

source without giving credit

• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it

makes up the majority of our work, whether you give

credit or not.4

Writing a PhD thesis or dissertation is not as simple or

entertaining as a child‘s play: it requires constant devotion,

proper training in research skills and methodology, industry,

and never-ending patience.

How Plagiarism Occurs

PhD scholars have a compulsion to come across other

researcher‘s ideas and discuss their work or contribution to

existing literature (which is called Literature Review).

Literature review is a ―systematic, explicit and reproducible

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method for identifying, evaluating, and synthesising the

existing body of completed and recorded work produced by

researchers, scholars, and practitioners‖ (Fink 12). As Prof.

David Denyer states, literature reviews are the ―foundations

upon which your thesis is based, your data will be analyzed and

your discussion/conclusions presented.‖5 A review of literature

can lead you to decide your research problem and vice versa.

Review of literature can also help you determine the research

methodology (research methods) you should use to solve your

research problem.

It is the imperative need of the literature review that

one must visit ad revisit the research works of other

researchers. At this stage, some researchers try to avoid the

compulsion of reading the original work themselves and prefer

to ―copy and paste‖ what others have said or discussed about

those work or people. Shortcut of labour in research is a long

cut on originality and critical thinking. Due to easy availability

of ―copiable‖ material on the internet, the possibility of

verbatim copy has increased thousand fold. While doing the

literature review, however, the researcher has to keep the

following points in mind (just substitute ‗PhD thesis or

dissertation‘ in place of ‗paper‘):

When you use sources in a paper, remember that the main

focus of your paper should always be on what you are saying,

rather than on what any individual source is saying. You will,

of course, devote portions of your paper to what your sources

have to say, but these sources should always be discussed in

service of your own argument. Your reader will be interested

in the ideas the source offers, but this interest will be

primarily in terms of how that source contributes to, or is

relevant to, your own argument. (―Choosing Relevant Parts of

a Source‖)6

The researcher doing PhD in English must be careful for his or

her occupation is to read, digest, and generate enlightened

ideas.

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University of Stirling‘s THE LITTLE BOOK OF PLAGIARISM:

What It Is and How to Avoid It discusses some probable reasons

why students plagiarize:

When a student is not fully aware of what plagiarism is;

When a student does not fully understand the

conventions required in academic writing;

It can be a panic response to poor time management

when an essay deadline is looming:

If a student feels a desperate need not to be seen as a

failure and so copies to try to ensure ‗success‘;

It can be a response to different academic traditions;

It can be a response to information overload and the

ease with which text can be cut and pasted from the

other electronic documents or pages on the Internet;

It can be an attempt not to displease a tutor;

The student may copy out text word for word during

note-taking and then forget to reword (paraphrase) the

text for the assignment. 7

In all possible ways plagiarism creeps into the PhD thesis or

dissertation and damages its core from within as much as a

deadly virus spoils a lovely software.

Types of Entry Plagiarism Makes into the PhD Thesis:

1. Direct Entry: It happens when the researcher copies word

for word from another person‘s work or from a website. As often

found, a researcher copies portions from different sources amd

directly puts it without change or with minor changes. Another

way of direct plagiarism is paraphrasing the writing of another

researcher. It may so happen that a researcher uses his or her

own writing for several publications without adhering to norms.

2. Indirect Entry: Indirect entry of plagiarism takes place

when the researcher uses ideas or words and phrases she or he

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had heard spoken but that had never been recorded into

tangible material forms (amd the speaker is also dead). It is

thus in an indirect way plagiarism makes its entry into the

thesis. It also happens when ―the writer properly cites a source,

but neglects to put in quotation marks text that has been copied

word-for-word, or close to it. Although attributing the basic

ideas to the source, the writer is falsely claiming original

presentation and interpretation of the information.‖8

3. Lateral Entry: Plagiarism makes a lateral entry when the

researcher has not copied anything from anybody but is still

guilty of plagiarism, though in 100% cases it goes undetected. It

happens when the PhD supervisor of the unashamed research

scholar writes portions or pages for him or her or allows the

scholar to generously copy passages from the guide‘s own thesis

or research paper mostly when the areas of research are same

or similar. This is quite expected as more often than not the

supervisor decides the scholar‘s topic of research and especially

that is suitable to him or her.

As you see, plagiarism is very pervasive in nature and is

quite capable of stifling genuine research. An interesting

question is often asked –– Can plagiarism be completely

eradicated? This researcher is quite affirmative that it can be

possible by adopting both negative and positive measures. For

example, the dire consequences of plagiarism should be

impressed upon the researcher before starting PhD and

blacklisting both the PhD scholar and the PhD supervisor(s) if

plagiarism is detected in the former‘s PhD dissertation after its

submission. Positive measures should be taken like training the

scholars by competent researchers/librarians, etc. Appropriate

software like Turnitin should be used to trace plagiarism. The

most effective step lies in avoiding plagiarism from the Day 1 of

the researcher‘s research life, if not from the Day 1 of the

researcher‘s academic life. (Read Dennis S Bernstein‘s article

―A Student‘s Guide to Research‖ to understand the nuances of

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research: http://ieeecss.org/CSM/ library/1999/feb1999/03-

studentguidetoresearch.pdf). The pleasure of real research is

both exhilarating ad edifying. Plagiarism robs from you the

pride of creating and disseminating knowledge while depriving

you of the joy of discovery and invention. Besides, it makes you

a laughing stock when your foolishness or trickery is out.

Hence, avoid plagiarism.

Can Plagiarism be avoided?

Plagiarism is not only an academic fraud, but also a criminal

activity and the researcher has committed the offence of

violating the copyright law. The consequences of plagiarism

must be brought to the notice of the PhD scholar. Frightening

news like ―Plagiarism costs IIM-B topper gold medal‖

(Published in Business Line, March 25, 2015), ―Plagiarism

punch knocks out IITs Charu Sudan Kasturi‖ (Hindustan

Times, New Delhi, Oct 11, 2010), ―Copycats from IIT-Kanpur?‖

(TNN; Oct 9, 2010), ―UGC panel probing plagiarism charge

against Pondy VC‖ (The Times of India, June 28, 2015), etc.

will act much a deterrent for the researcher to entertain any

thought of plagiarism. I suggest news concerning plagiarism in

any corner of the world should be culled by the library

concerned and regularly mailed to research scholars (PhD

scholars). This is supposed to sensitize the PhD scholars about

the growing menace of plagiarism. Even now as I am writing

this article, I search the news in Google and I find ―British

academic detained in Thailand over old plagiarism row‖

reported by Reuters over Yahoo news. Plagiarism, the predator,

is on the prowl; more than ever.

In fact, plagiarism has been and continues to be the

greatest menace in doctoral research in India as elsewhere.

Wary of this trend, the University Grants Commission (UGC),

the highest regulating body of higher education and research in

India, has tried to press certain plagiarism-tracking software

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into the service of its affiliated research organizations (e.g.,

universities) while making it compulsory that every PhD thesis

must be checked for plagiarism and the PhD scholar and the

Supervisor(s) have to furnish a certificate vouchsafing that the

thesis is free from plagiarism. The PhD scholar has to declare

that he or she has given credit to all the sources (authors,

research workers, reporters, etc.) whenever and wherever their

works have been cited in the text or in the body of the thesis

and that he or she has not included matters from others and

cited as his or her own. The Supervisor and the Head of DRC

have to issue a verified certificate that the contents of the thesis

have been found free from plagiarism and fall within

permissible limits. Irrespective of such strict provisions, the

sceptre of plagiarism hovers over our universities, IITs and

NITs, often claiming jobs of respectable IIT professors! It is

good news for the aspiring PhD scholar that the best way to

tackle the menace of plagiarism is as simple as fighting

corruption – saying ‗NO‘ to it from the very beginning of your

research. As it becomes very difficult to withdraw yourself from

this temptation after you have entertained it knowingly or

unknowingly, it is far better not to ever have a tryst with it.

This article highlights the grey area in between the two

extremes –– right to copy freely and copyright prohibitions ––

and discusses the ―golden path‖ or middle path: ―Honesty is the

best policy‖.

The Right to Copy vs. Copyright

First of all, the PhD scholar should understand that the main

purpose of doing research is to add to the existing knowledge by

some original contribution. In this scheme of things, plagiarism

does not fit at all because plagiarism is duplication of

knowledge and hence an abominable crime. However, it may be

so that one is very resourceful in ideas and has plenty of

original and valid ideas, but still has a penchant for copying the

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language of others. It happens when a researcher is not trained.

In other words, the main cause of plagiarism, especially with

the PhD scholars in English, may be attributed to either a lack

of ideas (e.g., texts, research paradigms, formats, conventions,

and contexts) or a lack of language proficiency (the specific

register, syntax, coherence ad cohesion) or both. Of course,

understanding why someone copies does not help much. The

issue is if copying is inevitable, how much and how much not.

In other words, it involves the issue of the right to copy versus

copyright (i.e., the infringement of copyright).

Except common knowledge, matters in the public

domain and permission of fair use, everything else is

copyrighted material. Copyright allows its owner the following

options:

Reproduction

Modification

Display/ Performance

Moratorium on unlawful use

Selling the right

Copyright prohibits others from using or misusing the

copyrighted material without the express approval or

permission of the copyright holder. Plagiarism, as already

stated, is an act of copyright infringement for having used or

misused copyrighted material without giving credit. As it

violates copyright law, it is punishable by the court of law. The

punishment may include penalty (fine in terms of money) or

imprisonment or both. For a PhD scholar, the punishment of

plagiarism is rustication or expulsion from the institute and the

PhD programme. For a PhD supervisor, the punishment of

plagiarism is more severe: suspension or any other suitable

punishment as per the provisions of the institute.

As follows from the above discussion, both the PhD

scholar and the PhD supervisor must watch against plagiarism

sneaking into the PhD thesis in any form (by direct, indirect or

by lateral entry). The UGC Notification (Minimum Standards &

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Procedure for Award of M.Phil. / Ph.D Degree, Regulation,

2009) mandates that besides giving own declaration that

his/her work is free from plagiarism:

Every candidate shall submit with his/her thesis a

certificate from the supervisor(s) that the thesis submitted is a

record of original research work carried out by the candidate

under his/her supervision and that the thesis has not

previously formed the basis for the award of any

degree/diploma, or other similar titles of this or any other

university and that the dissertation/thesis represents

independent work of the candidate.

Below are given two formats or templates of Certificate

of Originality a PhD scholar may submit:

Example I: ORIGINALITY CERTIFICATE

Department of --------------

Name of the Institute

Place (locality) & country

Certificate of Originality

The research work embodied in this thesis entitled

“___________________________________________” has been carried out by me at the

Department of _____________, University of _____________, ______(place)_______, India.

The manuscript has been subjected to plagiarism check by _________________ software.

The work submitted for consideration of award of PhD is original. Information derived

from the published and unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text

and references are given in the list of sources. Further, this work has not been submitted

to any other institute for award of ay degree or diploma.

Name and Signature of the Candidate

Logo of the institute

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Example II: ORIGINALITY CERTIFICATE

Department of --------------

Name of the Institute

Place (locality) & country

Certificate of Originality

I, (Mr/Ms. __________________________________, certify that the work embodied in this

Ph.D. thesis, entitled

“____________________________________________________________________”, is my own

bonafide work carried out by me under the supervision of

__________________________________ from _________________ to _________________. The

matter embodied in this Ph.D. thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other

degree/diploma.

I declare that I have faithfully acknowledged, given credit to and referred to the

authors/research workers wherever their works have been cited in the text and the

body of the thesis. I further certify that I have not willfully lifted up some other's work,

text, data, results, figures etc. reported in the journals, books, magazines, reports,

dissertations, thesis, etc., or available at web-sites and included them in this Ph.D. thesis

and cited as my own work.

Name and Signature of the Candidate

A verification report should be provided by the PhD

supervisor(s). The verified certificate may look like this:

Verification

This is to certify that the above statement made by _________________ is correct to the

best of our knowledge. Further, a check for plagiarism has been made on the software

available in the institute/University to check plagiarism and the contents of thesis have

been found free from plagiarism within permissible limits.

Name and Signature of the Supervisor

(& other persons as per institution rule)

Date

Logo of the institute

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The PhD scholar, however, will not be guilty of plagiarism if

he/she uses common knowledge, materials in public domain,

and copyrighted material under the term of fair use. Three

terms such as common knowledge, public domain, and fair use

need to be elaborated perhaps. Common knowledge is free

shared as:

Common knowledge is information generally known to

an educated reader, such as widely known facts and dates, and,

more rarely, ideas or language. Facts, ideas, and language that

are distinct and unique products of a particular individual‘s

work do not count as common knowledge and must always be

cited. Figuring out whether something is common knowledge

can be tricky, and it‘s always better to cite a source if you‘re not

sure whether the information or idea is common knowledge. If

you err on the side of caution, the worst outcome would be that

an instructor would tell you that you didn‘t need to cite; if you

don‘t cite, you could end up with a larger problem [i.e.,

plagiarism].9

Public domain, according to the Merriam Webster

dictionary, is ―the realm embracing property rights that belong

to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or

patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone.‖10 It is

available for everyone, free of cost, for possession for personal,

social, or academic use.

Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive

right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work.

In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that

permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring

permission from the rights holders.11 The Stanford University

library explains what fair use is:

In its most general sense, a fair use is any copying of

copyrighted material done for a limited and ―transformative‖

purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a

copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission

from the copyright owner. In other words, fair use is a defense

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against a claim of copyright infringement. If your use qualifies

as a fair use, then it would not be considered an illegal

infringement. … If you are commenting upon or critiquing a

copyrighted work — for instance, writing a book review — fair

use principles allow you to reproduce some of the work to

achieve your purposes. 12

The most important thing is that a PhD scholar should

try to be as original as possible in order to avoid plagiarism.

Techniques to Avoid Plagiarism in a PhD Thesis

A PhD scholar should take special interest and care that his/her

PhD thesis turns out to be highly qualitative and original,

hence no chance for plagiarism. Quality thesis can be assured

only when the scholar has the right contents for writing,

resourcefulness, and style of writing. I concur with Gilmore‘s

claim, which he makes in his book Plagiarism: Why It Happens

– How to Prevent It, that plagiarism can be prevented.

In my own opinion, plagiarism can be fully avoided by

the PhD scholar in the following 10 ways:

1. Read the style guide (find out what is actually

prescribed for you, such as the MLA Handbook or the

APA, etc.) ad learn how to locate sources, cite sources

and make references.

2. Whenever you download any material from the internet,

write down the date and the URL.

3. Whenever you read any printed material (such as book,

article, newspaper) to take note, write down the source,

name of the book, article, author‘s name, page no,

edition of the matter, etc. to use in the thesis later

(useful to cite sources and give references).

4. Never summarize another person‘s work without

acknowledgement.

5. Never paraphrase another person‘s work without

acknowledgement.

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6. Use quotation marks when you verbatim copy

something.

7. Acknowledge the source of the tables, diagrams and

figures when they are not your own.

8. Use anti-plagiarism software for every paragraph you

have written ad cite the sources wherever needed.

9. Compare what is your original work with what you have

borrowed from others, and try to make the originality

quotient 75: 25 (yours 75%, others‘ 25% maximum,

including literature review)

10. Revise the first draft of your thesis till your originality

quotient is achieved and never let it go beyond that after

wards.

Conclusion

Plagiarism can sabotage the credibility of a researcher. It may

spoil all the inventive ideas and unique research findings by

creating an atmosphere of distrust. If you want to enjoy the

pride of being a true researcher, you have to keep plagiarism

miles away. And this can be done easily: just acknowledge the

source and give citations and make references using the style

guide. Let your mantra to drive away the evil of plagiarism be

Honesty is the best policy.

ENDNOTES:

1. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize.

Accessed on 15 April, 2015.

2. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/plagia

rize?q=plagiarism. Accessed on 15 April, 2015.

3. www.plagiarism.org/assets/downloads/complete_resour

ces.doc. Accessed on 16 April, 2015.

4. www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-

plagiarism/. Accessed on 16 April, 2015.

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5. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/22531852

/systematic-literature-review-seminar/7. Accessed on 5

May, 2015.

6. Harvard Guide to Using Sources (see

http://isites.harvard.edu/ icb/icb.do?keyword=

k70847&pageid=icb.page350377). Accessed on 15 May,

2015.

7. https://www.stir.ac.uk/media/services/ registry/

quality/BookofPlagiarism.pdf. Accessed on 25 May,

2015.

8. www.plagiarism.org/assets/downloads/complete_resour

ces.doc. Accessed on 24 July, 2015.

9. http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&pa

geid= icb.page342055. Accessed on 24 July, 2015.

10. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

public%20domain. Accessed on 24 July, 2015.

11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairuse. Accessed on 24

July, 2015.

12. http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-

fair-use/#sthash.vjoXmPRd.dpuf. Accessed on 24 July,

2015.

REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Donelly, Michael, et al (eds.). Critical Conversations about

Plagiarism. SC: Parlor Press, 2012.

Fink, A. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the

Internet to Paper, 2nd Edn. London: Sage Publications

Ltd, 2005. Print.

Gilmore, Barry. Plagiarism: Why It Happens -- How to Prevent

It. NH: Heinemann Educational Books, 2008. Print.

Harris, Robert A. Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your

Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism. 4th ed. CA: Pyrczak

Pub, 2014.

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Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare

Citations, Avoid Plagiarism and Achieve Real Academic

Success. 2nd ed. (Chicago Guides to Academic Life).

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Pecorari, Pecorari Diane. Academic Writing and Plagiarism: A

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Posner, Richard A. The Little Book of Plagiarism. Knopf

Doubleday Publishing Group, 2007.

Rozycki, Edward G. The Plagiarism Book. AL:

NewFoundations, 2001.

Sutherland-Smith, Wendy. Plagiarism, the Internet and

Student Learning. NY: Routledge, 2008.

Williams, Kate and Jude Carroll. Referencing and

Understanding Plagiarism. NY: Palgrave MacMillan,

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